TTC begins next stage of TTYSSE tunnel construction

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE) has entered the next stage of tunnel construction where two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) "Yorkie" and "Torkie" will create twin tunnels linking the site of the future Highway 407 Station to the Steeles West Station site.

"Our government has made significant investments to reduce gridlock, cut commute times and make public transit more convenient for commuters," said Lisa Raitt, minister of Labour and Member of Parliament for Halton. "This is the kind of smart urban transportation that will improve air quality, create good local jobs and long-term economic growth in the GTA."

The TBMs will bore a little more than one kilometer (.62 miles) of twin subway tunnels at a rate of approximately 15 meters (0.009 miles) a day, southeast from this launch location to an extraction site. "Holey," "Moley," "Yorkie" and "Torkie" are the official names of the four TBMs that are being used to build the tunnels for the TYSSE.

The TYSSE project is an 8.6-kilometer (5.3-mile) extension of the TTC's Yonge-University-Spadina subway line from its present terminus at Downsview Station to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre at Highway 7. It will have six new subway stations, including one at York University and three new commuter parking lots. The subway expansion will bring the line into York Region.

The TYSSE project is expected to improve transit service by supporting a multi-modal transportation network that is integrated with other transit systems within the Greater Toronto Area. This initiative will promote economic growth, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by helping take cars off the road and reduce travel times for commuters.

The TYSSE is expected to be completed by fall 2016 and will generate thousands of jobs from construction.

The government of Canada has committed up to CA$697 million (US$683 million) to the project, CA$622 million (US$610 million) through its Building Canada Fund. The remaining CA$75 million (US$73 milion) has already been transferred to the project under the Public Transit Capital Trust 2006.

The Province of Ontario has provided CA$870 million (US$853 million) towards the TYSSE project through the Move Ontario Trust. The city of Toronto is contributing CA$526 million (US$512 million) to the project and the regional municipality of York is contributing CA$352 million (US$345 million). The TTC is the project manager for the extension.